


The Nice Guy

by sofreakinmanyfandoms



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, College, College!AU, Death, F/M, Heartache, Loss, Recovery, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 15:56:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16162124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofreakinmanyfandoms/pseuds/sofreakinmanyfandoms
Summary: Clint Barton has held a torch for his best friend Y/N for a very long time, but she's happy with another guy. When tragedy shatters her life, will he be able to help her pick up the pieces? And could he ever have a chance with her, or do nice guys really always finish last?





	1. The New Year's Eve Party

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone who disagrees with how each character handles the nail polish situation...fight me.

The small party was in full swing when you arrived at Clint and Natasha’s new place. They had used Christmas break to move into their off-campus apartment and had invited your core friend group over for a New Year’s Eve bash.  
The three of you had grown up together, and although your friend group had expanded once you were in college, you were still each other’s best friends. They had invited you to join them when the apartment hunt had started, but you’d just been upgraded to a solo apartment at your residence hall and were looking forward to not having roommates for once in your life.  
“Hey, there she is!” Sam called out as you entered. “Riley! Your girl’s here!”  
Your boyfriend, Sam’s roommate Riley, emerged from around the corner.  
“Hey baby,” he greeted you, leaning in to give you a kiss and taking the grocery bags from your hand. “What did you bring?”  
“Three bags each of nacho cheese and cool ranch Doritos for us normal people,” you grinned, pulling out a yellow bag. “And, of course, one bag of plain Doritos for the weirdo.”  
“I heard that,” Clint said, swooping in from somewhere to grab them from you. “I’d be mad, but I’ve been seriously craving nachos all day. Thanks, Y/N.” He shoved a few dollar bills in your hand and bolted for the kitchen.  
“Y/N, can you make sure he doesn’t light our new microwave on fire?” Nat called to you from living room. “He forgot to take the plastic off one of them last time.”  
You winced and called back your agreement, giving Riley a peck on the cheek before following Clint.  
“I can’t believe you can actually crave nachos with a recipe like that,” you teased Clint as you entered the kitchen.  
He looked up at you from where he was peeling the plastic off squares of American cheese. “Says the lactose intolerant chic who wouldn’t know good nachos if they did the salsa in front of her. I don’t know how you stand that vegan cheese stuff.”  
“At least I’m not dropping sandwich squares of cheap cheese on a plate of boring chips,” you shot back. “Have you ever considered, I don’t know, adding something with flavor? Taco meat, or salsa, or something? Heck, even flavored Doritos would have make that stuff better.”  
Clint dropped his plate in the microwave and shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong with simple. Besides, I’m in college; I’m taking advantage of the expectation I won’t know how to cook. I have to learn enough stuff in class already, so no way am I trying to cram more kitchen info into my brain when I can survive just fine on this stuff.”  
You sighed and shook your head. “You’re hopeless, Barton, you know that?”  
“And you love me anyway,” he grinned, dropping an arm around your shoulders.  
“Whatever lets you sleep at night,” you laughed, shrugging off his shoulder and wandering back out to the party.  
Clint watched you leave and sighed. Having you and your boyfriend hanging off each other in his apartment was going to test his self-control all night. This was going to be a long party.  
\----------  
You settled in next to Nat, who was curled up in her boyfriend Bucky’s lap. He was talking to Sam and Riley, leaving her free to converse with you.  
“How are you two enjoying the new apartment so far?”  
“It’s so nice being off-campus,” she admitted. “Clint’s a great roommate, too, when he’s melting plastic in the microwave. Are you enjoying living alone?”  
“Gosh, yes,” you sighed, “it’s perfect. No one leaves dishes in the sink overnight or their coat on the couch.”  
She laughed and shook her head. “You always were a bit of a neat freak.”  
“Hey, Nat?” Bucky shot you a look of apology as he cut into your conversation. “Can I get up, doll? I’d like to go with the guys who are picking up some pizza.”  
Nat pouted at him, but you could see the smile she was trying to hide. “But I’m comfy,” she whined.  
“If all the guys all go, we’ll get a few minutes of girl time,” you offered.  
Bucky gave you a grateful smile when Natasha sighed and stood up. He, Sam, and Riley gathered their coats as Steve came up with his car keys.  
“Hey, Barton, wanna join us?” Sam called. “We’re gonna go get pizzas and drinks. The girls are staying here to do who knows what girly stuff. We’ve got one more seat in the car.”  
“Nah,” Clint said as he came around the corner, nachos in hand. “I’m gonna stay and finish these.”  
“He’s practically one of the girls anyway,” Nat teased. “It can still be a girl’s night.”  
Riley leaned over and kissed you on the cheek. “We’ll be back in an hour, baby.”  
“All right,” you smiled up at him, “see you then.”  
\----------  
“What the hell?”  
At Sam’s exclamation, the three of you looked up at the guys who had just tromped in with the pizzas and a few cases of soda.  
“What?” Clint asked innocently.  
You and Natasha were seated on the floor facing each other, painting each other’s toenails. Clint’s were already finished; he was leaning his back against the couch and reading an article from the latest issue of Us Weekly aloud as they dried.  
Sam gave his feet a pointed look. “Your toenails are hot pink.”  
“The color,” Clint informed him, “is called Bachelorette Bash. Nat’s are Russian Roulette and Y/N’s are Loot the Booty.”  
Riley made a choking sound. You shot him a glare.  
“Pirate booty, Babe. Treasure. Get your mind out of the gutter.”  
“Man,” Sam shook his head, “you’re crazy.”  
“Told you he was practically one of us,” Nat laughed.  
You grinned up at your boyfriend. “I’d be happy to do yours next.”  
“I think I’ll pass,” he said with a smile, bending over to kiss you on the top of your head. “Maybe Sam’ll take you up on the offer.”  
“Like hell I will,” Sam muttered, drawing a laugh from his roommate.  
“I’ll take mine in mint green,” Bucky announced, flopping down on the couch.  
Nat blew on your toes as she finished the last one and reached for a bottle of base coat. “Do you mean Chillato, Mint Candy Apple, or Bon Boy-age?”  
“The first one.”  
“Dibs on…” Steve scooped up a bottle and read the color title, “Leggy Legend.”  
“Shoes and socks off,” you laughed as you took the bottle from him. “Do you want base and top coat too, or just the polish?”  
He looked at you like you were crazy. “Duh, base and top coat too! Gotta help that color last as long as possible.”  
Sam shot a look at Riley. “We’re surrounded by crazies.”  
“It’s just polish,” Bucky scoffed. “It’s not like having colorful toenails puts your manhood in jeopardy.”  
“You could learn a thing or two from us,” Clint said with a nod. “We have attractive women fussing over our feet.”  
“If you’re concerned about people seeing the color, I have some nearly invisible sheer polish you’re welcome to use,” Nat informed them, finishing the basecoat on Bucky’s second foot. “It doesn’t even have a girly name.”  
“Shine makes your nails look healthier,” Steve teased.  
“I’m good, really,” Sam insisted with a shake of his head.  
“Same,” Riley agreed.  
The two of them passed around sodas and slices of pizza to those who were stuck in place while their toenails dried. By the time the ball dropped on TV, everyone’s polish was dry and people had resituated themselves around the room.  
“You know, we’re in New York,” Steve remarked dryly. “We could’ve gone to see the ball drop in person.”  
“Yes, but the apartment is warmer,” Clint pointed out.  
“Touché.”  
The singles in the room cheered as the ball dropped, while the two couples kissed.  
“Happy New Year, Baby,” Riley whispered.  
You smiled back. “Happy New Year.”  
\----------  
Well, that could have gone worse, Clint told himself as he lay in bed, the party long over. He’d gotten an hour with you and Natasha without Riley around kissing you every few minutes. He’d had to glue his eyes to the TV for your New Year’s kiss, but as hard as it had been to see you happy with someone else, he did like to see you happy. Maybe if he hadn’t been a coward through high school, you’d be happy with him instead.  
He rolled over and curled himself around his extra pillow. As he slept, thoughts of you kept drifting through his head. Your smile, your laugh, the way you lit up at his stupid jokes….  
Yeah, he definitely had it bad.


	2. The Tragedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really, really hated writing this.
> 
> Warnings: trauma, death
> 
> I'm sorry.

Opening the door, you were greeted by Clint’s giant grin.

“I brought you coffee! The stuff’s in the van. Can you help me bring it up?”

You nodded and set the coffee cup on your kitchen counter. 

“What all did you bring?”

“Let’s see.” Clint ticked off the list on his fingers. “I’ve got streamers; plates; cups; silverware; confetti; a gazillion balloons, some of which we have to blow up ourselves; custom cardboard cutouts of the birthday boy from various pictures his mom gave me; and of course a giant banner.”

“Awesome,” you laughed. “Sam and Riley are picking up the food, and I’ve got the stuff to make my mom’s famous punch. That just leaves Nat, Bucky, and Peggy keep Steve occupied while we get everything set up.”

Clint shook his head. “I’m glad he met Peggy. She’s good for him.”

“She really is,” you agreed as you followed him down to his car, “and she fits in perfectly with our friend group, which is always a bonus. We ladies have been outnumbered far too long. The tides are going to turn.” You froze, staring at the vehicle. “This is not your car.”

“I didn’t say the stuff was in my car,” he reminded you with a grin, “I said it was in the van. A neighbor let me swap vehicles with her for the day so I only had to take one trip.”  
You stared at the fifteen-passenger van. From what you could see through the windows, it was completely full of decorations.

“How did you even get here? You couldn’t see anything behind you!”

“Very cautiously and with a lot of swearing. Come on; let’s get this stuff up to the apartment.”

It took six loads to get everything upstairs. Fortunately, all the material was fairly light and you managed to only lose two of the helium-filled balloons outside. Letting yourself into the boys’ dorm room with the key Bucky had slipped you, the two of you set to work transforming the bachelor pad into a festive birthday space.

“I hope you know half of these balloons will be popped before the night is over,” you informed Clint, staring at the loose balloons he had blown up and strewn all over the floor. “There will only be seven of us, but this room is tiny. They’ll all get stepped on.”

He shrugged. “So? It’ll add a little more confetti to the décor.”

“Yeah, about that,” you laughed, looking around at the glittery cutouts on every flat surface of the apartment, “I hope you know Bucky is going to kill you.”

“Hey,” Clint protested, “Steve’s birthday only comes once a year. We couldn’t even celebrate on the right day because he was out of town. He deserves an all-out party. And speaking of all out, I don’t know why you guys had to nix the alcohol; you’re all old enough.”

“Yeah, but you can’t drink, and we’re not about to make you be the only sober one at a party full of, well, us.”

He threw his arm around your shoulders. “I know you guys love me and all, I mean, I’m awesome so I totally get it, but you really do go overboard with the protectiveness thing sometimes.”

“Live with it,” you grinned, shrugging his arm off and heading for the door. “I’m going to bring down the punch supplies. Can you finish hanging the last of the streamers?”

“Sure thing,” he agreed.

You were putting your supplies in the punch bowl for easier carrying when your phone started to ring. A glance confirmed it was Nat, so you picked up.  
“Hey, girl, you’d better not be on your way back yet. Sam and Riley aren’t back with the food yet and I’m just starting on the –”

“Y/N,” she interrupted you, “stop.”

Something in her voice made you pause. “Nat, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Riley,” she said. “Their car was hit by a drunk driver. Sam is fine, just a few scratches, but Riley’s door was hit head-on. His mom is on her way. I’ve texted Clint the hospital name. Get here now.”

Your world fell out from under you; you didn’t even realize you had dropped your phone until the sharp sound of it hitting the tile pulled you back to the present. It had to be bad if his mom was coming; she lived halfway across the country.

“Oh my gosh, Y/N, I’m so sorry,” Clint said as he rushed in. “Nat texted me the address.” He grabbed your coat and slipped it onto you, herding you towards the door. “Where are your keys?”

You mutely pointed to your purse and he picked it up, digging them out before noticing your phone on the kitchen floor. He quickly added it to your purse before dragging you to the elevator.

Once the elevator was carrying you two down, he shifted your purse to his shoulder and wrapped his arms around you. You buried your face in his shoulder and the sobs started.

“I can’t lose him, Clint, I just can’t.”

“I know, love, I know,” he said, stroking his hand through your hair.

“Tell me he’ll be okay?”

“I wish I could.” His heart squeezed at the pain in your voice. “I really, really wish I could, love, but I don’t know how bad it is and I won’t lie to you.”

The ride to the hospital was silent. Clint drove your car as fast as he could without hitting anyone, silently cursing the New York traffic. You simply stared out the window as you prayed to anyone who was listening that Riley would be okay.

\----------

The rest of your friends were in the waiting room when you arrived. Sam saw you coming and stood, opening his arms. You threw yourself at him and the two of you clung to each other.

“I need him to be okay,” you sobbed into Sam’s shirt.

Tears were pouring down his face as well. “It’s not good. They’ve got him in surgery. He’s got multiple broken bones and a rib pierced one of his lungs.”

Riley was in surgery for seven hours, during which his mother arrived; she had managed to catch a flight on stand-by. She clung to you and Sam as the hours went by with no word on how her son was doing. Your other friends tried to get you to eat, but you didn’t think you’d be able to keep anything down.

It was almost nine when a doctor finally came out and gave you all the news that Riley was out of surgery. He was still in critical condition, but for the moment he was stable and awake, and they allowed you and his mom back to see him.

“Mmm, and what brings the two most beautiful ladies in my life to see me?” he joked weakly when the two of you entered the room.

“Always the comedian, my boy,” his mother smiled affectionately, reaching to take his hand as her other hand stroked his hair. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a car.”

You tried not to focus on all the tubes and machines he was hooked up to and remind yourself that he had survived, but the sight of your normally lively boyfriend in such a week state was almost too much. Riley noticed your expression.

“Hey, hey, baby,” he coughed out and reached his free hand toward you as best he could. “Come here. I’m gonna be okay.”

You took his hand gently, trying not to bump the IV taped to the back. “I was so scared. You were in surgery for so long.”

“I’m out now,” he assured you, “and I’m gonna be fine. I promise.”

The two of you were only with him for a few minutes when the nurse shooed you out so he could rest.

“Visiting hours start again in the morning,” she assured you. “You can come back then.”

After reporting his condition to your friends in the waiting room, they agreed to meet back in the morning. You wanted to stay, but Riley’s mother pushed you to go home.

“It won’t do any good for us both to be out of it tomorrow. They’re gonna give me a cot in his room. He’s exhausted; he’ll sleep through the night and you know he’ll want to know that you were able to sleep too.”

Reluctantly, you conceded, and Clint drove you back to your place. The punch supplies were still sitting on your counter, the party long-forgotten. Not wanting to leave you alone, Clint asked to stay on your couch, and not wanting to be alone you accepted. 

You tossed and turned almost all night, only sleeping for a few hours. In the morning you lent Clint a toothbrush and he made you eat a bowl of cereal before driving you back to the hospital.

Riley’s mother was talking to a doctor when you arrived, and as soon as she saw you she embraced you, crying. During the night, Riley’s lungs had started filling with blood and his pierced lung had collapsed again. The stress had sent him into cardiac arrest, and he didn’t recover.

Riley was gone.


	3. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING: MENTIONS OF DEPRESSION AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE**

“Hi.”

At the soft voice, you looked up from your spot on the couch and saw your best friend standing in the doorway. You would regret giving him a key if you were currently capable of feeling emotions.

When you didn’t respond, Clint came over and knelt in front of you. You tried to ignore him in favor of snuggling deeper into your blanket burrito, but he pulled the edge of the blanket away from your face.

“Did you quit your job?” he asked.

All you could muster was a nod.

“Are you taking the semester off?” 

Another nod.

“Have you told the school yet?”

A head-shake no.

“All right, here’s what I’m going to do.” His voice was so soft and comforting you were suddenly near tears. “I’m going to call the school and tell them – I’m still your emergency contact, right?” A nod. “Okay, good. I’m going to call them and tell them you won’t be taking classes this semester. They’ll give you a week to move out of your apartment. Then I’ll call Nat and Bucky, and they’ll come over and the three of us will pack up your stuff and move you in with Nat and I. You won’t have to worry about rent; we’re covering it just fine.”

“Thank you.”

It was a broken whisper, but it was a reply. Clint closed his eyes briefly before locking them back with yours and stroking a hand through your hair.

“Anything for you, love. We’re gonna help you get through this. All of us.”

There turned out to be a lot of shifting in the housing department. Sam wasn’t doing so well on his own either, so Steve became his new roommate and Natasha and Bucky got an apartment together, freeing up Nat’s old room for you to move into. Clint waved off your question about rent now that he and Natasha weren’t splitting the cost.

“Don’t worry about it,” he told you. “I run errands for the lady who owns this building and she gives me a discount on rent in exchange. I’ve got it covered.”

\----------

Nat pulled Clint aside during the moving shuffle when you were nowhere near hearing range.

“Are you going to be okay living with Y/N?” she asked him.

“Of course I will be. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you’ve had a crush on her for twelve years and you’re taking a semester off to take care of her? Don’t deny it, I saw the paperwork on the kitchen counter.”

Clint sighed and hung his head, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “I know that even if she were interested in a relationship with me someday, it won’t be anytime soon, but I can’t leave her alone like this. She’s drowning. Riley meant as much to her as he did to Sam, and Sam grew up with the guy. He was about to propose, asked me to help him find a ring she would like; we were going to go a couple days after the accident. She needs someone to help her through this, and if I have to basically be the gay best friend to help her out, I will, no hesitation.”

“Just don’t get hurt,” Natasha said softly, reaching out to rub his arm. “I care about Y/N, but I care about you too. If it gets to be too much, we can swap things around with the roommate situation. Bucky and I talked about it, although I told him Y/N might end up needing a female roommate. Either way, we’ll make it work, but don’t let yourself get in too deep because you feel obligated. You have a tendency to care for people at the cost of your well-being.”

“Guilty as charge,” he grinned ruefully. “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

“You’d better be.” She pulled back and changed her tone to something more playful. “If you’re not, I’ll have to come over and kick your ass, and that would interrupt my extra time with Bucky, which I am very much looking forward to.”

“I’ll be careful.”

\----------

“How many days since you last showered?” Clint asked when he got home from work.

You sighed. He was always checking in with you, making sure you were drinking enough water, eating properly, actually doing your laundry and putting it away after instead of just recycling anything that didn’t smell too terrible.

“I don’t know. Maybe three or four?”

“Right. Change.”

There was no point in arguing, so you dragged yourself to your room to change into your bathing suit before meeting him in the bathroom. It hadn’t taken long for Clint to figure out that even when you didn’t have the energy to clean yourself, you could still soak in the tub. He’d started running hot baths for you which you would take in your suit while he passed you your facewash or worked shampoo through your hair. It was both annoying and incredibly comforting how much effort he put into making sure you were taken care of.

“Clint,” you asked after your bath as you stepped out of the tub and wrapped yourself in the towel he passed you, “why do you do all this?”

He bit his bottom lip and took long enough to reply that you thought maybe he wouldn’t.

“I know what depression is like, and I know you need time to mourn, but I’m not going to let temporary depression become something long term. Not for you.”

You ducked your head. He hadn’t told you and Natasha about his depression until he had finally reached rock bottom, lying in a hospital bed after attempting to take his own life. After that you had both done your best to help him, staying with him through the therapy and doctor’s appointments, making sure he took his meds every day, and trying your hardest to give him reasons to smile while not letting him feel like a burden. The two of you had even refused to drink once you hit twenty-one since he couldn’t mix alcohol with his medication, a show of support your whole friend group had adopted. Having seen the toll the bad years had taken and knowing that he still had to be on medication to keep it from coming back, you felt a burst of warmth knowing that he was doing his best to keep that from ever happening to you.

“Thank you.” You surprised him by wrapping your arms around him and burying your face in his chest, before you realized that you were still soaked. “Oops,” you said, pulling back to look down at his wet clothing, “sorry.”

“Anything for you, love,” he replied with a smile, pulling you back in for another hug.

\----------

It was October before you realized that while he left most days for work, Clint had never mentioned classes. You swore to yourself and paced the living room, waiting for him to get home. He was your best friend! Had you really been so wrapped up in your own world of pain that you hadn’t realized what he had given up for you? You’d been getting yourself worked up over it for two hours when you finally heard the door open, followed by Clint’s cheery, “I’m home!”

“You dropped out.” Your roommate looked confused as you launched into his face and started lecturing him almost before he could shut the door behind himself. “You’ve gone to work but not to class. I’ve never seen you working on homework.” Realization struck his face, but you continued. “You shouldn’t have done that, Clint. You were on scholarship. You shouldn’t have given that up for me. I’d have been fine.”

“Y/N, relax, it’s okay,” Clint cut in before you could continue your rant. “I filled out some paperwork when I made the decision. As long as I start again next semester, I won’t forfeit my scholarship. I had to fill out the same paperwork for you, by the way, but you don’t seem worried about potentially losing yours.”

“Oh.” Your prepared argument suddenly seemed irrelevant, but there was still a question lingering in your mind that you needed answered. “Thanks. But…”

“But what?” he asked, pulling you into a hug. “I don’t regret it. It’ll just take me a little longer to graduate, same as you. That’s worth it if it means you’ll be okay.”

“That’s not it,” you said, pulling back. “It’s just…when I realized you took the semester off, I started thinking about everything. You pay the full rent. You make sure I’m eating. Hell, Clint, you run me a bath and wash my hair when I can’t get up the energy to shower! That’s not normal ‘I’m your friend and want you to be okay’ stuff, that’s…” _Please, please deny it…_ “That’s ‘I’m in love with you’ stuff.”

Clint’s silence spoke volumes. “Damn it. Why?”

He slowly reached up and tucked a loose piece of hair behind your ear. “Because you’re amazing. You’re kind and funny and stubborn and so, so beautiful. But I made my peace with the fact that I had missed my chance and you might never love me back when you started dating Riley. Even if you never feel the same I’ll still be here, I’ll still be your friend, and I still be taking care of you because you’re worth it.”

He sounded so earnest your heart broke for him.

“I don’t feel the same,” you whispered.

“Of course you don’t. You can’t. You just lost someone you loved a few months ago.”

“Where do we go from here?”

He shrugged. “Why do we have to go anywhere? I meant it when I said I’ve made my peace with you not loving me back. You knowing how I feel doesn’t make me any less your friend.”

You tentatively agreed, unsure how anything could really be the same. After two weeks, however, you started to relax. Clint wasn’t treating you any differently or expecting anything more from you than you had already given him.

The start of a new semester came around and Clint lined up his classes with yours as best he could so the two of you could carpool, saving you gas money. He insisted you wait until you knew you could handle your class load before looking for a job.

“Don’t rush back into everything too quickly. Give yourself time to adjust.”

Along with returning to school, you started spending more time with your friends. You hadn’t even realized you had been isolating yourself so much until Steve hugged you and asked how you were doing. Renewed contact led to more group activities and hangouts, and while you were definitely aware of the lack of Riley’s presence, it hurt less as time went on.

One Saturday evening in March after a movie night at Natasha and Bucky’s you started thinking as Clint drove you home. Since your epiphany in October, even though your friendship hadn’t changed, you had started to notice his eyes. They carried a softness whenever he was taking care of you that you hadn’t realized was there before. How many years had he looked at you like that or given you a smile like you were his whole world without you noticing?

By 2 a.m. you finally acknowledged that sleep was not going to come anytime soon. You padded out of your room, intending to get a snack from the kitchen but pausing at the light shining under Clint’s bedroom door. It only took a moment to make up your mind. You raised your hand and lightly knocked.

“Come in.”

Clint was sitting on his desk (a habit you’d teased him about as long as you’d known him) typing something on his laptop. When you poked your head in his room, he set the computer aside.  
“Is everything okay?”

You nodded and took a deep breath.

“Can I talk to you about something?”


	4. The First Date

“Can I talk to you about something?”

Clint took in your uneasy expression and tried to stuff down the anxiety that began to twist his stomach.

“Of course,” he assured you as he transitioned to his bed, motioning for you to sit next to him. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I want to give you a chance.”

He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but that wasn’t it. His brain searched for a topic you might be referring to, coming up empty. He must have looked confused, because you hurriedly explained.

“Us a chance, I mean. Or rather, myself a chance to see you as more than a friend.”

Well. It would seem his night was about to get way more interesting than the research paper Professor Fury was expecting on Monday.

“You’re sure?” he asked, trying to keep from sounding too hopeful. He pinched his leg out of your sight just to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep while trying to explain why home solar panels were more cost effective in the long run than most people realized.

 _Ow_. Yep, he was definitely awake.

You nodded and fiddled with your fingers. “I’ve been thinking about it, and there really isn’t any reason I don’t see you as more than a friend other than I just don’t. I can’t promise I’ll fall for you, which maybe isn’t fair, but I’d like to give you the chance to try and make me. Fall for you, I mean.”

Clint couldn’t help but smile at the nervousness in your tone now that he knew what it was from. He held out his hand to you and gently squeezed yours when you gave it to him.

“If you’re sure, then I can honestly say I’d love to date you.”

“I’m sure,” you said softly.

“In that case, Miss Y/N, may I take you to dinner tomorrow night?” He glanced at the time. “Or I guess tonight?”

“Could we make it brunch instead? If I have to wait all day I honestly might overthink the whole thing and end up having a panic attack.”

He nodded. “Brunch it is. Would noon work?”

You looked over at his alarm clock. “Will that give you enough time to finish your homework and still get a decent amount of sleep? You have a paper due Monday, right?”

“Yeah, but I can edit my final draft tomorrow. I’m almost done with my conclusion.”

“Then noon is perfect.” You gave him a small smile as you dropped his hand. “See you in the morning.”

Clint stared at the wall for ten minutes after you left his room before snapping out of his daze and reaching for his phone. Natasha answered after the fifth ring.

“This had better be important, Barton, or I’ll cut out your intestines and string them up the campus flagpole.”

He ignored the both the threat and the rough just-woke-up tone of her voice. “I have a date with Y/N tomorrow.”

“What?” She suddenly sounded much more awake. “Say that again.”

“I have a date with Y/N tomorrow. Or, well, later today. She figured out last year that I like her and just told me she wants to give us a chance. We’re getting brunch.”

“Well…” He had never heard Nat speechless before. “Well… that’s…”

“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up,” he confirmed, leaning back against his headboard. “I had to pinch myself to make sure I was awake.”

“I’m very happy for you two,” Bucky’s sleep-riddled and very annoyed voice cut in. “Now let us sleep.”

“Give that back,” Clint heard faintly, followed by a louder, “Sorry, Clint, he hates having his sleep interrupted almost as much as I do.”

“So was my news important enough you won’t string my intestines up the flagpole? Because honestly that would make dating Y/N a little hard and I’ve waited long enough for this that I’d kinda like to see it through, whatever happens.”

“You’re clear from me,” she laughed, albeit a bit rustily. “I can’t make any promises about Bucky though if I don’t get off the phone and let him sleep. He’s got quite the glare going right now.”

Clint smiled at the mental picture despite the fact he should probably be at least a little concerned for his life. “I’ll let you go. I just thought I might burst if I didn’t tell someone. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight. See you guys Tuesday for the game?”

“We’ll be there.”

“That’s enough,” Bucky cut in again roughly. “Goodnight.”

Clint laughed as the line went dead. He felt like he was floating. Color seemed a bit more vivid. If he opened his window, he was sure he could touch the stars.

He had a chance. You were giving him a chance. It had been years since he’d let himself even dream about the possibility that you could like him back, and now you were handing him an opportunity to make that dream a reality.

He never got back to his paper, but he also didn’t fall asleep for several more hours.

 

You were reaching for your alarm to hit snooze for the third time when you suddenly remembered that you had a date with Clint today. Grabbing your phone, you were relieved to see that you still had an hour to get ready.

You had a date. Today. With Clint. That thought kept rolling through your mind as you showered, making you question every choice you’d made in the past twelve hours. Why had you thought 2 a.m. was a good time for making decisions like whether or not to date your best friend? What if this didn’t work? Not only would you hurt him, you’d also likely break up your friendship group. Whoever Nat sided with, Bucky would side with. Whoever Bucky sided with, Steve would side with, and Sam… well, Sam would probably be on your side even though he was Steve’s roommate. So either you would alienate everyone but Sam or Clint would end up kicked out of your friend group, and that just couldn’t happen because Clint’s a nice guy who deserves better than that and better than you and as scary as falling for him would be, what if you can’t ever see him as more than a friend and you lose him for good…

The sharp pain in your chest snapped your mind out of the whirlpool it was drowning itself in and back into the present. Great. You had worked yourself into a panic attack. Going to brunch instead of dinner was supposed to keep that from happening.

After stepping out of the shower and wrapping your towel around yourself, you leaned against the counter, gripping the edge tightly enough your knuckles were turning white. Why had you suggested this? Dating Clint put your whole friendship at risk. If things went wrong, there would be no salvaging the relationship; the look in his eyes when he took care of you told you he was far enough gone that there was no way he wouldn’t shatter if you didn’t learn to love him.

Nat. You had to talk to Nat. Glancing at the time when you picked up the phone, you were relieved to see you still had half an hour.

Your friend answered on the third ring.

“Hey, sweetie, what’s up?”

“I told Clint I want to give him a chance to make me fall for him and now I’m panicking that I won’t and he’ll be hurt and our friendship will be over and damn it I’ve only been awake for half an hour but I’m already having a panic attack…”

“Whoa, whoa, Y/N, slow down,” she said. You could hear her voice switching into soothing friend mode, the tone she used where you knew your emotions were being manipulated but it was so relaxing you didn’t care. “You’re overthinking this. Clint isn’t going to expect you to suddenly be in love with him. You need to give the both of you time for things to happen.”

“But what if I hurt him, Nat?” you choked out. “He’s one of the most important people in my life. I don’t think I could live with myself if I hurt him.”

Nat sighed. “Y/N, you know I love you, right?”

You let out a little sniffle. “Yeah, I know.”

“And you love me too?”

“Of course.”

“And you love Clint the same way you love me?”

Where was she going with this? “Yeah…”

You could practically hear the smile in her voice. “Then you already love him. All you have to do is see if maybe that love can expand a little, take a different shape. Like you said, he’s already one of the most important people in your life. I’m betting that loving him like he loves you won’t look that different from loving him as a friend. You may not even realize when it happens.”

“You’re talking like you’re sure it’ll happen,” you said, feeling your heart rate slow and the butterflies in your stomach calm down.

“Honestly, sweetie? I’d be really surprised if it didn’t. I think you’re both such good friends that if you look at Clint with a different perspective, you’ll realize you really could see yourself spending the rest of your life with him.

By the time you finished your call with Natasha, you were significantly calmer. Then you realized that it was almost time to go and you still had to get dressed.

What does one wear to Sunday brunch with their best friend who is now their sort-of boyfriend? After a few minutes of rejecting different options for being too casual or too dressy, you finally settled on a large, soft sweater and some light wash skinny jeans. One remarkably quick makeup application later, you were exiting your room.

“Oh good, I made it!” Clint gasped as he stumbled through the door. “I was afraid I would be late. There was a line.”

You took in the large paper bag he was carrying, the logo of your favorite local coffee shop on the side, before noticing the coffees he had in a small cardboard carrier.

“I got you your regular coffee order,” he said, “but I don’t know what of their breakfast stuff is your favorite so I got a few options based off what I know you like.” Looking up to pass you your coffee, he noticed your confused look. “What’s wrong? Do you not like their breakfast food? I could get something from somewhere else.”

“No, no, nothing’s wrong,” you rushed to assure him, “I was just under the impression that we were going to, you know, go somewhere.”

“We can if you want,” Clint said, wrapping his arms around you, “but I heard your conversation with Nat, at least the beginning of it. I thought maybe you’d be a little more comfortable staying in, so I brought brunch to us.”

“That’s…” You blinked back the tears that were suddenly filling your eyes. “That’s really sweet. I don’t know why I’m surprised. That’s exactly the sort of thing you’re always doing for me.”

“Hey now,” he smiled, “this doesn’t have to be hard or confusing. I’ll probably reach for your hand when I want to now instead of sitting on it or biting my tongue, and I’ll spend a little more time with my arms around you, but it doesn’t need to be some big thing. We already know each other pretty well, so now we spend time together like we normally would, but while thinking that maybe we could be more than just friends. So why don’t we pick what we’re gonna eat, settle in on the couch, and watch a movie? I’ll even let you pick.”

It turned out to be the perfect first date for you two. Clint knew your preferences well enough that he’d bought your favorite breakfast sandwich and your two favorite pastries. Once you’d divvied up the food you settled in to watch _The Princess Bride_ , you with your feet tucked up and Clint with his arm around you. One movie turned into three, and before you realized it your stomach was growling. Clint grinned when he heard the sound.

“I know we said brunch, but may I take you out to dinner?”

Dinner turned out to be sandwiches from your favorite deli. The two of you ate while walking, talking about classes and what professors to avoid next semester.

“Oh!” you gasped as the two of you reached your apartment, “you need to edit your paper!”

Clint groaned. “Yeah, I do, but I’m kinda wishing we’d forgotten about it for a little longer. This is really nice.”

“It was,” you said with a small smile, “but your grades are important too. I’ll still be here in the morning.” You unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Go finish. I’ve got some stuff due Wednesday that I should work on.”

“Alright.” He leaned in a brushed a quick kiss to your forehead. “Thank you for the wonderful day.”

The two of you split up to your rooms to work on homework before bed. Concentrating turned out to be a challenge. You kept replaying the day over and over in your head.

Dating Clint was…well, it was nice. Not like dating Riley; that had been all giggles and stolen glances and shyness until you’d fully grown comfortable with each other. Dating Clint was like taking a really good friendship and making it sweeter.

You finally gave up on homework and went to bed. The last thought in your mind as you drifted off was, _It’s gonna be okay_.


	5. The Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evaluating emotions is not my strong suit. That's all that's in this chapter. Sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evaluating emotions is not my strong suit. That's all that's in this chapter. Sorry.
> 
> Mari = Mari McCabe (Vixen) from DC. She is NOT an OC. I ship her with Sam harder than I have ever shipped a crossover couple before.

Tuesday came around and you felt a bundle of nerves coiled in your stomach as you and Clint left your apartment to head to Nat and Bucky’s.

“Y/N, relax,” Clint urged as the two of you approached their place. “We’re just gonna be watching an away game with our friends. What has you so tense?”

You snuggled closer to his side, arm around his waist. “It’s just…”

“Hey,” he said, stopping and turning you to face him, “talk to me.”

You sighed. “I haven’t talked to Sam since we started dating. What if he hates me now?”

“He won’t hate you. He’s your friend, Y/N; he doesn’t want to be miserable and lonely for the rest of your life just because you dated his late best friend.”

“I know…” You fiddled with the hem of your sweater, eyes on Clint’s black Vans. “I really do know that. There’s just a part of me that’s unsure.”

“Then let’s go in there,” Clint leaned in to kiss your forehead, “and show that part of you that it was worried for nothing.”

He didn’t bother knocking; no one in the group needed to knock when there was a full get-together. The door was unlocked and everyone else had already arrived. The two of you unloaded the brownies and soda you’d brought at the already overladen snack table that had been set up in the corner of the living room.

When you turned to face your friends, you found everyone staring at the two of you. Nat, Bucky, Steve, and Peggy were all smirking at the sight of Clint’s arm around your waist, while Sam’s eyes were wide with surprise.

“Well,” Sam said, finally breaking the silence that had fallen, “it’s about damn time.”

You felt your face flush as Clint laughed and pressed a kiss to your temple. “My thoughts exactly, man,” he laughed.

After the game had finished, you found yourself sitting next to Sam on the couch. He was showing you a picture of the young woman one of his professors paired him with for a partner assignment. Her name was Mari, and he was smitten but hadn’t yet worked up the courage to ask her out.

“Can I ask you something?” you asked when the conversation eventually hit a lull. “Why were you so instantly okay with Clint and me dating? I mean, I guess I expected part of you to be mad because…”

“Because you used to date Riley,” he finished for you. “It’s not like you and Riley broke up, Y/N. I know you loved him like he loved you, and part of you always will. I’m just glad you’re able to make room in your heart to try loving someone again.”

“Thanks,” you said with a smile, “I really appreciate hearing you say that.”

“Besides,” Sam laughed, “I’m pretty sure all of us but you have known about Clint’s crush on you for years. Riley was afraid to ask you out when he first met you because he thought you and Clint were already together.”

“No!” you gasped. “Why did he think that?”

“You’ve always been so comfortable around each other,” he explained, “and like I said, it was obvious to the rest of us that he’s in love with you. Seriously, as open-minded as Clint is, not even he would volunteer to stay in the middle of a girl’s night and have his toenails painted unless it meant spending time with you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, my friend,” Cline said, popping his head up from behind the couch and cutting into your conversation. “Foot care is important. Your feet are the foundation of your body. If there’s something wrong with them, it throws your whole body off. Why not also make them pretty?”

“Man, you are all kinds of strange.”

“Yes, he is,” you agreed with a grin, “and I wouldn’t change a thing about him.”

\----------

The months went by and your relationship with Clint remained steady. Sometimes you would go out on more formal dates (usually to celebrate special occasions like finals being over), but mostly the two of you continued to hang out as you normally would but with Clint showing more physical affection. He always kept it light, a hand to the small of your back or a kiss to the cheek, never wanting to push you beyond what you were comfortable with. You really appreciated it; as much as you knew you still loved him as a friend, you didn’t want to do anything that marked too much commitment while you were still trying to sort out your feelings.

One Saturday in August, he planted his usual goodbye kiss to your forehead on his way out the door. He was on his way to a guys’ hangout at Bucky’s, while the ladies of your friend group were coming over to your apartment. In a few hours the eight of you (Sam had finally asked Mari out and you’d all absorbed her into your group) would meet up at a burger joint for dinner.

“Okay, so,” Peggy started when she opened the door, all three of the girls pouring into the apartment at once, “I had this idea. We’ve done mani-pedis before, but not facials, so I brought a bunch of different products since I wasn’t sure what everyone’s skin types were.”

“Girl, those are expensive,” Mari gasped as she watched Peggy unload the supplies. “How can you afford all that?”

“She’s rich,” you laughed. “Probably didn’t realize they’re expensive to us normal folk.”

“Hey,” Peggy protested, “I’ll have you know I specifically didn’t get anything actually expensive in an effort to avoid this conversation.”

“Little things add up,” Nat pointed up, reaching over to grab a charcoal mask and read the label, “but she’s right about these being mid-range as far as the cost goes. Nice choices, Peg, these are some quality masks for the price point.”

“Thank you, Nat. Just enjoy it ladies. I only supply the activity for girls’ night every fourth hangout.”

She showed you all what she had brought and you each selected the mask you wanted to use. Peggy was right; if she could afford to spoil you guys and wanted to, it didn’t hurt to let her. Girls’ night didn’t come around that often anyway.

You had a vote on what to do while the masks were on your faces, since they tended to make talking difficult. Call of Duty won out, and you and Mari made Nat and Peggy be on separate teams this time to prevent a repeat of what you jokingly referred to as The Great Slaughter. Mari and Nat ended up beating you and Peggy for the first round and losing the second. The four of you were about to make it the best two out of three when the timer went off to remind you to remove your masks.

“So, Mari,” Peggy asked once the masks were off and talking became easier, “how are things going with Sam?”

She shook her head and laughed. “He’s a dolt and I think I’m falling in love. He showed up early to pick me up after my last fitting for next week’s show and couldn’t talk straight for fifteen minutes. I was in a sweater! We’re showing upcoming fall fashion, for goodness’ sake.”

“He gushes about your accomplishments when you’re not around,” you told her with a smile. “All about how proud he is you got your modeling job, how amazing you look in everything, how your eyes light up when you talk about work…”

“That man has it bad,” Peggy added.

“He’d better, I’m amazing,” Mari joked. “Seriously, though, he’s so supportive and it means the world to me. My ex used to get mad at me for trying to model, said he was the only one allowed to look at me.”

Nat frowned. “I hope you dumped his ass.”

“Faster than Clint inhales nachos.”

The comparison had the four of you laughing as Nat restarted your game for round three.

“Speaking of men who have it bad, how are things with Clint?” Nat asked.

“Oh, no,” you replied as you made your avatar duck behind an overturned Humvee. “I am not letting you distract me. Peggy and I are winning this round.”

“I was actually wondering the same thing,” Peggy said as her avatar lobbed a grenade at Nat’s hiding spot. 

“Yeah, girl, spill,” Mari added. “We want details.”

“Does no one care how things are going with Steve or Bucky?”

Peggie laughed at your attempts at misdirection. “Steve’s perfect, as always.”

“Bucky’s still an asshole and I still love him,” Nat said, “now stop dodging the question.”

You sighed, acknowledging they weren’t going to let up easily. “I don’t know. I still don’t feel like I’m in love with him, but the thought of living without him hurts, so I don’t know what to do about it.”

“So what I’m hearing,” Nat said, briefly interrupting herself with a curse as Peggy got the drop on her in-game, “is that you’re in love with him but don’t recognize it.”

“Hypothetical scenario.” Peggy took full advantage of surprising Nat, bringing your team into the lead. “You never see Clint ever again. You’ve got the rest of our friend group still, but Clint is gone. What’s your reaction?”

It wasn’t too hard to imagine; you’d lost Riley, after all. But…even when you’d lost Riley, you still had Clint. You’d known him since you were five; every major memory you had from growing up, every milestone, Clint had been there. If he were suddenly gone…

“Y/N, honey, breath,” Mari said, dropping her controller and wrapping her arms around your shoulders. You forced yourself to take a deep breath and suddenly realized you were sobbing.

“I wasn’t expecting my question to hit so hard,” Peggy apologized, eyes wide. “I’m so sorry, Y/N, I had no idea…”

“He’s always been there,” you gasped out around your sobs. “Then I thought about losing him like Riley, and I couldn’t take it. My world would fall apart.”

The girls wrapped themselves around you, the game still on the screen but entirely forgotten. It took almost ten minutes to calm you down from your surprise panic attack. Once you were calm, Mari realized that you were all supposed to meet the guys in twenty minutes and had a fifteen-minute walk to get there. The rush to get ready was interspersed with you assuring them all individually and together that you were okay now.

And you were okay, until you saw Clint waving at you right outside the door of your destination. You felt it then, every bit of emotion you felt for him, the gratitude and the joy and the overwhelming need. You needed Clint, you realized, and you didn’t want to stop needing him. You wanted him with you for the rest of your life so that you’d never have to face anything alone and so you could help him in all the ways he helped you.

“Hey, love, how was girls’– mmph!” 

You cut him off with a kiss, the first kiss you ever gave him. It wasn’t soft or sweet like you’d always assumed it would be whenever it finally happened; you were pouring all of the want and need you felt into it, and he melted against you immediately, telegraphing his love back. It was desperate and needy and you felt like your whole body was on fire when you finally had to break away for air.

“I love you.”

“Really?”

The hope in his eyes almost made you cry again. You didn’t trust your voice, so you nodded.

“I love you too, Y/N. I’ve loved you for so long.” He was crying, and that did it; tears started falling down your cheeks again.

“I know.” You kissed him again, softer this time but just as passionate. “I’m sorry it took me so long to figure out my feelings.”

“Never,” Clint said fiercely, “ever apologize. You are worth every bit of the wait.”

“As touching and drastically overdue as this whole thing is,” Bucky cut in, “I’m hungry. Can we go eat now? Hey!” He jumped and protested as Natasha jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

You laughed and rested your head on Clint’s shoulder. “Yes, Bucky, we can go eat now.”

“Say it again,” Clint whispered to you as the eight of you made your way into the restaurant. You smiled up at him, completely taken with the light in his eyes.

“I love you.”


	6. The End (and the Beginning)

Two years later:

“Remind me again why I’m your man of honor?” Bucky asked, slurping his smoothie as the four of you waltzed into Brooklyn Nails & Spa. “I mean, not that I’m complaining. The dress makes my butt look fabulous.”

“Clint beat me to asking Nat,” you grinned, “and I’m not letting you two stand on the same side during the ceremony. You can walk down the aisle together instead and imagine what it’ll be like when you finally ask her to marry you.”

“I have asked,” he muttered. “She says she’s not ready yet.”

You were all whisked in for your appointments before you could follow up on that revelation. First came the mani-pedis in a pale purple shade that complimented the dresses. Next came the hair. You let everyone choose how they wanted it styled since everyone had different lengths, but you all still had purple daisies in your hair. Mari wore hers as a flower crown, Peggy had a low bun with the flowers tucked around it, you had yours twisted into a few braids in your half-up half-down style, and Bucky had them tucked behind his ear on the side where his hair was pulled back. When you were all finished, it was back to the hotel to change into your dresses.

 

In the groomsmen’s suite at the hotel, Nat was trouncing Sam in Battlefield 4.

“Please tell me,” Sam pled while frantically trying to regain lost ground, “that Bucky isn’t actually wearing a dress.”

“I’m wearing a suit. He wants to wear a dress, he’ll wear a dress.”

Sam shook his head. “This is gonna be the weirdest –”

“Nat,” Clint asked, rushing into the room, “where’s my tie? I can’t find my tie.”

“It was on the same hanger as your suit,” she called back without looking. “Did you check the closet floor?”

“It’s right here,” Steve interjected, entering the room with the missing accessory slung over his arm. “It got wrinkled so I steamed it.”

“Thanks.” Clint relaxed and let Steve tie it around his neck. “It’s nice _someone_ is helping me get ready.”

“You’re a big boy,” Nat told him. “You’ll be fine.”

“Fine, she says,” he muttered. “I’ve never been this nervous before in my life and all she can say is I’ll be fine.”

“You will be,” Steve assured him, resting a hand on the anxious man’s shoulder. “Trust me. She already said yes. Everything will be perfect and it’ll be the best day of your lives.”

 

“Peggy, can you zip me up?” Bucky asked. “Mari is helping Y/N into her dress and I can’t reach.”

“Sure thing, big guy,” she laughed, making her way behind the privacy screen they’d set up for him. Once the dress was zipped up, she gave him a once-over. “You weren’t kidding when you said the dress makes your butt look fabulous. You are seriously working that thing.”

“Why, thank you,” Bucky preened, looking in the floor-length mirror they’d set up. “Think Nat’ll like it?”

“Of course she will. That is definitely your shade of purple.”

“How do I look?”

The two of them turned at your voice and gasped in unison.

“Y/N, you look stunning!” Mari gushed.

You blushed slightly and stood in front of the mirror, turning this way and that, smoothing your gown to make sure it was lying properly.

“Clint is going to love it,” Peggy cooed, adjusting your train.

“Now I just have to keep it nice until the ceremony’s over,” you snorted, but your eyes were definitely shining. “Maybe I just won’t eat anything until the reception.”

“I planned a way around that!” Bucky reached into the duffle he’d dubbed his “wedding day emergency kit” and pulled out a modified bedsheet. “It’ll cover your dress without wrinkling it so you won’t have to worry about crumbs. The mini sandwiches will be delivered in a few minutes. I am _not_ letting you spend your wedding day hungry.”

“Aw, Bucky,” Peggy said with a smile, “you thought of everything.”

“That’s why I’m the man of honor,” he joked.

You rested your hand on his arm. “Seriously, Bucky, thank you. I’m so hungry already! I’d have starved for sure if I had to wait.”

He winked at you, but his smile was soft. “Gotta make your day perfect, sweetheart.”

 

Clint fiddled with his tie nervously as he stood at the front of the room, praying to anyone listening that he wouldn’t pass out. The music started and his attention snapped to the back of the room.

Your friends came down the aisle arm in arm. There was some giggling from the kids in attendance when Bucky and Natasha came out, Bucky in his dress and Nat in her suit, and Clint smiled at them fondly.

Then the music changed, those in attendance stood, and there you were on your father’s arm, beaming at him and looking radiant in your dress. Natasha had to nudge him to remind him to breathe. You were stunning, and every part of Clint was still amazed that you loved him back.

Neither of you heard much of your own ceremony, focusing instead on each other’s eyes until Nat was passing Clint the rings and it was time for your vows. The two of you had agreed to blend tradition with writing your own vows, so he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and began to read, looking up at you as often as he could without stumbling over his words.

“Y/N – I didn’t tell you I loved you; you figured it out. That moment will be burned into my memory for the rest of my life because the first thing you said when you did was, ‘Damn it.’” He paused as a low wave of laughter swept through the pews and you buried your face in your hands. “But it was okay, really, because I’d already convinced myself that we would never be together.

“Then you told me you wanted to give us a chance, and a few months later you told me you loved me back. Then, six months ago, you said yes.

“Every moment we have together, every time I hold your hand or see you smile or survive your morning breath,” another laugh, “is special because it’s better than I ever dreamed it could be and it’s more than I ever thought I would have. I’ll take whatever life throws at us and I’ll survive it because I have the amazing privilege of doing it with you by my side.

“And so I, Clinton Francis Barton, take you, Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. I will forsake all others and cling only to you, loving you as you are with all that I am for as long as we both shall live. With this ring as a symbol of that promise, I thee wed.”

Your heart overflowed as you looked into the eyes of the man who owned your heart and treasured it with care. It had been a hard road to get to where you were, but you considered it worth every moment to be standing here with him.

“Clint – I was oblivious, then terrified, then curious. You never asked for more from me than I was willing to give, and that made me want to give you everything. You’ve always treasured me above everything else, not as an idea but as I am, flaws and all, and I hope that one day I’ll be half as good at treasuring you back. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I don’t know where I’d be without you.

“When you hold me, I feel safe. When you’re near me, I feel secure. When you look in my eyes, I feel like I’m home. I never want to be apart from you.

“And so I, Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N, take you, Clinton Francis Barton, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. I will forsake all others and cling only to you, loving you as you are with all that I am for as long as we both shall live. With this ring as a symbol of that promise, I thee wed.”

“By the power invested in me,” the minister closed with a smile, “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

The bridal party whooped and cheered as Clint pulled you into his arms and the two of you kissed for the first time as man and wife. It was deep and passionate, and carried the promise the two of you shared: that you would love each other, as you were, always. 


End file.
